It is known in the prior art to employ dispensers holding a single roll of sheet material, such as toilet tissue. It is further known to employ dispensers holding two or more rolls of sheet material, such as toilet tissue, which maintain at least one of the rolls as a reserve roll while the sheet material is being dispensed from the other roll. Such devices are usually, but not exclusively, employed in institutional environments such as public rest rooms.
A prior dispenser of this second type is shown generally in FIGS. 1 and 2, and is more fully disclosed in copending application U.S. Ser. No. 08/728,208, filed Oct. 10, 1996, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. The dispenser 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2 include a housing 16 having ends 12, 14 which define the housing interior. The housing 16 includes a first housing member 18 for attachment to a wall or other support surface and a second housing member 20 which is pivotally connected to the first housing member and movable between an open and closed position. Pivotal movement takes place about a pivot rod 22 to which the housing members are connected and a latch 24 of any suitable type is utilized to latch the housing members closed during dispensing of toilet tissue from the dispenser apparatus.
Also pivotally mounted on the pivot rod 22 is roll support means including a support frame 30 having axially aligned roll support spindles 32, 34 projecting outwardly from the support frame and away from each other. Support frame 30 defines an opening 36 therein. Support frame 30 includes a bifurcated projection 38 from which depends a toilet tissue roll end engagement member 40 in the form of a flat plate which is freely pivotally mounted to the projection. Gravity will urge the toilet tissue roll end engagement member or plate 40 to the vertical condition, if no outside forces are applied thereto. The toilet tissue roll end engagement member 40 is pivotally mounted on the support frame 30 at a location between the roll support spindles 32, 34 with the member or plate 40 positioned in the space defined by adjacent ends of toilet tissue rolls supported by the roll support spindles. A rib 39 projects from second housing member 20 and is received by bifurcated projection 38 when the second housing member 20 is closed to add structural stability.
As shown, a toilet tissue roll 42 is mounted on one of the roll support spindles 32, 34. The roll support means including support frame 30 and roll support spindles 32, 34 is pivotally movable. That is, pivotal movement of the support frame relative to the first housing member causes the roll support spindles to move either toward or away from the first housing member. The roll support means as shown in FIG. 1 illustrates the front or second housing member 20 when pivoted to an open position facilitating replenishment of toilet tissue rolls during servicing of the dispenser apparatus. Pivotal movement of the support frame, as well as the distance the roll support spindles may be moved away from the first housing member, is limited by an extension 48 of the support frame 30 which has a distal end 50 projecting into the confines of an opening 52 formed in a stabilizer plate 54 projecting outwardly from the back wall of the first housing member.
Opening 36 in support frame 30 receives stabilizer plate 54 when the support frame is in the closed position to stabilize not only the support frame but also the roll support spindles and the toilet tissue rolls supported thereon. Preferably opening 36 is so dimensioned or restricted as to provide engagement between the support frame and the stabilizer plate when the support frame has been pivoted upwardly into its dispensing position.
Front or second housing member 20 defines an opening 58 accommodating a cover 60 slidably movable within the opening 58 relative to the second housing member. The cover 60 is movable between a first cover location wherein a first roll of toilet tissue is exposed for user access and a second roll of toilet tissue is concealed or otherwise not exposed for user access and a second cover location wherein the second roll of toilet tissue is exposed for user access and a first roll of toilet tissue is concealed or otherwise not exposed for user access. That is, the cover 60 may be slid relative to the second housing member 20 by a manual force being exerted thereon between the first and second cover locations. At its upper edge cover 60 defines a slot which receives second housing member 20 where the second housing member defines opening 58. At its lower edge cover 60 is received within a slot defined by the second housing member and a longitudinally extending reinforcement member 64.
Locking means is provided for locking the cover against slidable movement relative to the second housing member between the first and second cover locations until substantial depletion of one of the rolls of toilet tissue. The above-described toilet tissue roll end engagement member 40 comprises one element of such locking means. The other constituent element of the locking means are detents on the cover engageable with the tissue roll end engagement member. More specifically, two spaced detents 72 on the cover are alternately engageable with the toilet tissue roll end engagement member. A first detent (not shown) is cooperable with the toilet tissue roll end engagement member 40 to prevent sliding of the cover in the direction of end 12 of the housing and detent 72 is cooperable with the toilet tissue roll end engagement member 40 to prevent sliding of the cover in the direction of housing end 14. As will now be seen, the detents and toilet tissue roll end engagement member 40 will cooperate to lock the cover against sliding movement only up to the point where a toilet tissue roll is substantially depleted on a spindle toward which the cover is being manually urged. If a force is exerted on the cover 60 in the direction of a full toilet tissue roll, movement of the cover is prevented due to engagement of member 40 with an end of a roll 42 and by engagement of one of the detents with the member 40. Depletion of the toilet tissue roll allows the roll end engagement member 40 to be rotated about projection 38 as a result of force applied by manually sliding cover 60 such that the detent clears (or passes under) member 40 and cover 60 can be slid completely to the opposing end of the housing, thus exposing a new toilet tissue roll for user access thereto through opening 58.
Roll end engagement members in the form of ribs 90 project inwardly from the ends of the housing into the housing interior. Such ribs are observable only projecting from end 12 but it will be appreciated that like ribs project inwardly from housing end 14 as well. Ribs 90 are engageable by the ends of the toilet tissue rolls on the roll support spindles to prevent end-wise removal of the toilet tissue rolls from the roll support spindles while the second housing member 20 is in closed position.
FIGS. 1 and 2 also disclose each of the roll support spindles 32, 34 including a support shaft 78 and a sleeve 80 rotatably disposed about the support shaft for insertion into a toilet tissue roll. The roll support spindles 32, 34 may be utilized with coreless rolls of toilet tissue which typically have a small central opening. Each support shaft 78 is tapered at the outer end thereof to facilitate entry of the roll support spindle into the central opening of the coreless toilet tissue roll. The sleeve 80 further includes a tapered end having flexible elements or fingers 82 which are depressed inwardly upon insertion of the sleeve into a coreless toilet tissue roll so that there is frictional engagement between the flexible elements of the sleeve and the support shaft to resist rotation of the sleeve and the toilet tissue roll about the support shaft to an extent that the roll will not "freewheel" relative to the roll support spindle. However, due in part to the tapering of the sleeve end, the frictional force created against the support shaft may need to be increased in some instances. As a result, upon initiation of dispensing by a user, the tissue roll and sleeve 80 may have a tendency to over rotate about the spindle and thereby occasionally dispense more toilet tissue than desired under certain circumstances.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved spindle sleeve for use in any free-spinning roll dispenser to increase the friction for the tearing of perforated sheet material and to substantially eliminate the excessive rotation of the sheet material roll and thereby prevent overspending of the sheet material.